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Free talks at CCC to uncover ancient cultures

Dr. Dudley Gardner, CCC's Vice President of Academic Affairs, will give a series of lectures on recent archaeological digs he was a part of at locations across the globe, including Mongolia. (Courtesy photo)

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Ancient cultures of the Colorado Plateau, Fiji, Mongolia, New Zealand and Easter Island will be the focus of free talks at Coconino Community College for the next five weeks.

A. Dudley Gardner, Ph.D., and CCC Vice President of Academic Affairs, will present a free lecture series at the Lone Tree Campus to share some of his discoveries from excavations around the world.

“I hope that people see that at Coconino Community College our endeavors are directly translated into the classroom,” Gardner said. “And that the student gains from real-life experiences an appreciation for our ancient past.”

Gardner is an archaeologist and an historian who has worked in the field of archaeology since 1975. He has published several books, articles and archaeological reports of his fieldwork, and he has even collaborated on work with renowned author Annie Proulx.

His specialty is the Formative Period and 18th century Archaeology from around the Pacific Rim, and he has conducted extensive archaeological excavations in Western Colorado and Wyoming.

The five talks in the lecture series will feature:

-Sept. 12, 6:30-7:30 p.m., room 460. Paleo-Indians of the Colorado Plateau: In 2007 Gardner received a Bureau of Land Management grant to excavate Eagle Rock Shelter in Colorado. The shelter was occupied from 13,000 BP to 200 BP, and Gardner’s lecture will explore what was recovered during excavations.

-Sept. 19, 6:30-7:30 p.m., room 460. Archaeology of Fiji: Gardner will talk about the Lapita People and studies done at the World Heritage Site of Levuka.

-Sept. 26, 6:30-7:30 p.m., room 460. Archaeology of New Zealand: Gardner’s lecture will focus on excavations and a survey conducted around the Bay of Islands in New Zealand.

-Oct. 18, 6:30-7:30 p.m., room 457. Archaeology of Easter Island: Gardner will round out the lecture series by discussing excavations along the Moai Road and work on the Pircas on Easter Island.

“I think it would be good for the community because they are from different areas of the world,” Gardner said.

Several of the excavations were conducted over a period of several years.

“We get to know the areas intensely because we work on them so long,” Gardner said.

He added that his talks will not be something he’s read in a book. His work has been done in the field and brought directly into the classroom. His aim is to tell the story of what happened on the excavations so that people can appreciate learning about the world’s past.

“Often, archaeologists go out and do these projects and never tell anybody about what they’ve found,” Gardner said. “I want to change that.”